Citations are an essential part of every local SEO strategy. However, many people often don’t understand the true importance of the places where you publish information about your business. In the past, the number of citations was considered to be the most important factor. But in recent times, the quality of these resources has become the most significant factor in getting the best results for the local ranking. Looking for relevant and highly authoritative websites is something every local business should focus on, rather than randomly posting the information wherever possible. Now, let’s see what’s the true importance of authoritative citations and what are the ways to find them.
How important are authoritative citations?
Now let’s see why you should carefully pick the places for your citations. What’s the importance of authoritative citations in your SEO strategy? Is it important to focus on quantity, rather than quality? Let’s find out what are the main benefits of authoritative citations and reasons to use them.
Improve your online presence
When running a business, you should care more about quality, rather than quantity. That’s why authoritative citations should be an essential part of your strategy. When posting on relevant, high-quality websites, you tell Google that your website information is accurate and important for the relevant niche. Therefore, you can improve local rankings and the general online presence of your business.
Get more trusting customers and boost your reputation
Authoritative citations bring something very important from visitors – and that’s loyalty and trust. As these are websites that people trust and visit the most, your business will also be more recognized and trusted. This way, you improve the reputation of your business and help your overall SEO ranking, too. The SEO game has changed a lot in recent years, where quality content and authoritative sources have become top factors in choosing a service or a product. That’s why the reputation of your business should be the main focus of your strategy.
Authoritative citations improve your website’s visibility
If you want to be seen, make sure you place the citations in the places where people visit a lot. And these are exactly authoritative citations and relevant directories. If placing your information in these directories, you achieve much greater visibility and therefore become easily accessible to the maximum number of potential customers. Customers will be able to find your business much faster, which can only bring benefits. So, instead of focusing on a great number of irrelevant citations, pay attention to high-quality ones and achieve much greater quality and results.
Thinking about the customers
When posting in relevant directories, you also want to think about your customers. Authoritative directories provide their visitors with an excellent customer experience. This also makes businesses that are included in such directories look good and dedicated, too.
More valuable, relevant link building
Another important factor when choosing online directories is relevancy. The links that appear on your website are much more valuable than any other, as they provide information that is relevant to the business and related searches.
What types of authoritative citations can benefit your business?
Let’s see where to post information about your business and get the most benefits. The greatest authority can be found with business listings that are made of precise presentation of a business, including all the necessary information such as name and contact details. These are:
- relevant niche/industry directories
- national directories
- local directories.
Relevant niche directories solely depend on the type of your business. As every industry has its own important directories, be sure to research more about them, and check your competition for answers.
Tips on choosing online directories and posting citations
When placing information about your business online, there are some things that can help you be more efficient. Here are some main tips on business citations and choosing authoritative sources.
Figure out existing directories
Before you start looking for new directories, make sure you see what are the ones you already have. You can use special tools to help you out to do that. Next, to set up multiple directories, make sure you have a good marketing team to make the whole process easier for you.
Add directories for all business locations
Even though it seems tiring, it’s good to add all of the locations of your business to relevant directories. This will ensure all of them appear on maps, and increase the visibility of your business even more.
Free or Paid directories?
Well, this depends on your business. Most of the directories like Yelp or Google My Business are free — so you should definitely add your business there. However, with places that charge for posting your info – you need to make a decision that will depend on various factors. Make sure you consider:
- the cost of services and your budget – in case you’re thinking about how much you should spend, go check up on your competition. You should invest at least as much as they do.
- the authority level – authoritative citations are important, so be sure to pick the directors that are most favored by Google and customers.
- relevance to your niche – make wise choices, and pick the directories that are relevant in your industry.
Don’t leave the authoritative citations out of your strategy
There are many aspects of SEO strategy to consider, and authoritative citations are one of them. These are surely assisting small businesses to grow in many ways, and that’s why you shouldn’t overlook and left them out of your strategy.
